wilmigtonemperor, after reading a lot of discussions on this site, it is evident that no two stories are identical. Similar, but everyone's story seems to take a 'twist'.
IMO your anemia is causing your elevated sed rate. In the last few years my H&H has dipped into the slightly anemic state with flares but returned to normal when my inflammation was under control. Abnormal lab test results seem to normalize as inflammation decreases. I have standing orders for monthly crp and sed rate. My crp is more sensitive than sed rate. With every flare my crp is abnormally elevated, sed rate elevates but not to the extent it's in the abnormal range. And I have had hand, wrist involvement. Perhaps you should have xrays. My latest flare involved my hands, not my hips and shoulders like in the beginning of my pmr journey. I seem to have developed inflammatory arthritis, synovitis, along with osteoarthritis in my hands. My rheumatologist is postulating prednisone tapering triggering an autoimmune response. Vicious circle. I went back up to 10 mg in July, now at 7 mg. Find as many anti inflammatory foods you enjoy eating. The osteoarthritis in my hands is not going to go away. I'm trying to ward off the swelling I had this last flare.
Sometimes I ice my hands later in the day, heat in the morning, gentle hand exercises, low impact exercise. I focus on more healthy foods than I used to eat. I focus on meal planning. Simple things like picking a healthier bread, salad dressing, cereal, fruits, lower fat lower salt snacks will help lessen inflammation. Read labels.
suzanne